User Intent Drives Content Optimization
I’ll never forget the day my client, Blaylock Gasket and Packing, came to me with a problem. They were struggling to rank for their core keywords and drive meaningful traffic to their website. As an SEO agency in Manchester, UK, it was my job to dig in and figure out what was going on.
Uncovering the Underlying Issue
After a deep dive into their analytics and keyword research, one thing became abundantly clear – their content just wasn’t resonating with their target audience. Sure, they had plenty of pages stuffed with keywords, but those pages weren’t providing any real value to the people searching for their products.
It was a classic case of mistaking search engine optimization for user optimization. They were so focused on getting their website to rank that they forgot the whole point of SEO is to connect with the right people at the right time.
As the experts at Oncrawl put it, “When thinking about the goals of your website – whether you want to increase traffic, drive conversions and/or improve keyword rankings – it’s important to ensure you’re optimizing for a specific user intent. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself in a position where the website is driving traffic or rankings, but not actually contributing to business revenue.”
Bingo. That was exactly the problem Blaylock was facing. Their content was all about them, not about their customers.
Shifting the Focus to User Intent
To turn things around, we needed to take a hard look at what their customers were actually searching for and what they hoped to accomplish. In other words, we had to understand their user intent.
As the team at AiContentFY explains, user intent refers to the specific goal or purpose behind a user’s search query. There are four main types:
- Informational intent: The user is looking for information, facts, or answers.
- Navigational intent: The user is trying to find a specific website or web page.
- Transactional intent: The user is ready to make a purchase or complete a transaction.
- Commercial investigation: The user is researching and comparing products or services before making a decision.
Once we understood the different types of user intent, we could start aligning Blaylock’s content to meet those needs. No more keyword stuffing or self-centered marketing speak – it was all about providing value, solving problems, and guiding customers through their journey.
Putting User Intent into Practice
The first step was to dig into Blaylock’s analytics and see what keywords were actually driving traffic to their site. Using the methods outlined by Oncrawl, we exported data from Google Search Console and took a close look at the queries, clicks, impressions, and average positions.
This helped us identify two key things:
- The keywords that were performing well and aligned with the right user intent.
- The keywords that were driving impressions but not clicks – a clear sign of a mismatch between the content and user intent.
Armed with this information, we set out to optimize Blaylock’s existing content and create new pieces that would truly resonate with their target audience. For example, we noticed a lot of searches around “gasket materials” – an informational query. So we created an in-depth guide covering the different types of gasket materials, their properties, and use cases.
On the other hand, searches for “custom gasket manufacturer” had a clear transactional intent. For those queries, we revamped the product pages to highlight Blaylock’s capabilities, provide pricing info, and include clear calls-to-action.
As the experts at MarketMuse point out, it’s also crucial to consider the user’s stage in the buying cycle. Are they just researching, or are they ready to make a purchase? Aligning your content to those different intents can make all the difference.
Seeing the Results
The transformation was nothing short of remarkable. Within a few months of implementing our user intent-driven content strategy, Blaylock saw a significant uptick in organic traffic, leads, and sales.
Their informational content pieces were attracting new visitors and establishing them as industry thought leaders. The transactional pages were converting at a much higher rate, as customers could easily find the products and services they needed.
As the team at Three Girls Media explains, “Businesses that effectively optimize their marketing efforts based on user intent will have a significant competitive advantage” in 2024 and beyond.
By putting user intent at the heart of their content strategy, Blaylock Gasket and Packing was able to leapfrog their competition and cement their position as the go-to source for industrial gaskets and packing solutions. And I? Well, I’m just thrilled to have played a part in their success.
If you’re an SEO agency in Manchester, UK struggling to make an impact, I urge you to take a long, hard look at user intent. It may just be the key to unlocking your clients’ online potential.